Part 1: First Day in the Golden Cage
By afternoon, Park Yu-Jin (in the body of Kim Ji-Su) was exhausted but content. She had spent hours with Ha-Joon and Ju-Won, helping them with the pickled cabbages in the sprawling garden. The boys were now napping peacefully, their cheeks rosy from the outdoor activity.
Yu-Jin finally had a moment of quiet. She leaned against the expensive glass window, looking out at the vast cityscape of Seoul. This is real, she thought, I am Kim Ji-Su, the wife of South Korea's biggest Rich Man Have A Husband.
Her immediate concern was twofold: Money and the Villain.
The Financial Shock
Yu-Jin desperately needed to understand Kim Ji-Su's financial situation. She headed to the massive dressing room and found a hidden drawer containing various documents. There was a stack of credit card bills and a bank statement.
What she saw made her gasp. Kim Ji-Su didn't just spend money; she torched it.
Shopping: ₩500 Million (approx. $375,000) last month.
Club Membership (Milan): ₩100 Million (approx. $75,000) annual fee, overdue.
Outstanding Debt: Lee Yun-Woo had settled several million dollars of her debt recently, but the statement showed she had secretly amassed a new, substantial debt with a private lender—a detail Yu-Jin remembered from the novel's earlier chapters.
The amount of money spent on trivial things was paralyzing for Yu-Jin, who had slaved for pennies. She realized that even though she was in a noble room and married to a billionaire, her life was financially on the brink of disaster because of Kim Ji-Su's recklessness. I need to manage this now, before Yun-Woo finds out about the private debt and decides to divorce me!
The Antagonist's Call
Just as she was trying to locate the contact information for the private lender, the phone rang. It was the expensive, private line that only close acquaintances of Kim Ji-Su used.
Yu-Jin hesitantly picked it up.
"Hello?"
A cold, melodious voice on the other end said, "Hello, Ji-Su? You're actually answering your phone? Did you forget our lunch appointment? Don't tell me you've got another terrible hangover."
Yu-Jin's blood ran cold. She instantly recognized the name and the voice from the novel. This was Han Seo-Jin (Han Seo-Jin), the true villainess of the story.
Han Seo-Jin was Lee Yun-Woo's ambitious ex-fiancée and the current Vice President of a rival conglomerate. The novel mentioned that Seo-Jin deeply hated Kim Ji-Su for marrying Yun-Woo and was constantly plotting to discredit and expose her reckless life to force a divorce.
"Oh, Seo-Jin," Yu-Jin said, trying to mimic the detached tone of the original Kim Ji-Su, "I must have overlooked the message. I apologize. I've been a bit preoccupied today."
Seo-Jin let out a dry, high-pitched laugh. "Preoccupied? With what, Ji-Su? Finding a new club? Anyway, my friend, Yoo Hye-Min, has secured a reservation for us at The Grand tomorrow evening. It's a charity event for the 'Gyeonggi Orphanage.' You have to be there."
Yu-Jin's mind raced. This was a classic plot point! Kim Ji-Su always skipped these high-society events, giving Seo-Jin and her friends more ammunition to spread rumors about the 'bad wife.'
"A charity event? How wonderful," Yu-Jin replied smoothly. "Count me in, Seo-Jin. What time?"
Han Seo-Jin paused. Yu-Jin's calm agreement, rather than an excuse, seemed to genuinely shock her.
"Tomorrow, 7 PM. Don't be late, Ji-Su. It wouldn't look good for Lee Yun-Woo's wife to miss a charity event," Seo-Jin's voice was sharp.
"Of course not. See you tomorrow," Yu-Jin said, and hung up.
Preparing for the Social Arena
Yu-Jin's hands were shaking. She had just set up a confrontation with the main antagonist.
I have to go to that event, she thought. This is my chance to show everyone that Kim Ji-Su isn't the villainess they think she is. And I need to start mending her reputation.
She looked at the financial documents again. The upcoming charity event was expensive, and she needed an appropriate dress. She sighed. The original Kim Ji-Su probably has a million dresses, but I need one that doesn't scream 'reckless spender.'
She went back to the massive closet. After searching through countless glittering gowns and revealing club wear, she found a simple, elegant deep blue dress that looked timeless. It was unworn, still tagged.
As evening approached, Yu-Jin sat at the children's bedside, reading a story, a deep sense of contentment washing over her. She knew that her old, struggling life was gone. Her new life was filled with unimaginable wealth, but also hidden debts, deep suspicion from her husband, and a cunning villainess waiting to strike.